Jordan has always gotten the upmost praise and recognition and up until now Kobe is the closest thing to MJ and still gets so much hate and disturbingly has only 1 MVP award.

Kobe can't win. He came up in a generation sandwiched between Jordan and LeBron. The older generation will always covet Jordan over Kobe and the new generation will covet a player that came up in their time.

Plus, his time in the limelight has been cut short by an allegation we're all too familiar with and his scuffle with Shaq. As great of a player as he is, he is a lightning rod for dramas.

It is not that their games are similar on purpose (from Kobe's side). When you add all the complex elements the game has to offer on top of each other, mix them with tough challenges and integrate them into a single noble purpose, i.e Will to Win, you get players like Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. You can't just imitate Jordan just like no one in the league can imitate Kobe. This is not something like Dirk's step back fadeaway or Eurostep.

Let's check their common points

- High basketball IQ

- Work ethic

- Athleticism (at some point in their careers)

- Will

- Love for the game

- Clutch gene

- Ego

and lots and lots of god given ability

There will be other players that share these traits and be lucky enough to pursue their dreams without getting bit by injury bug. It might be in 5 years or 20 years. At that time we will bring up these two guys and compare that young lad with them. Until then just enjoy the show. Most of us here don't know what Jordan looked like in mid 80s but we do know Kobe from 17 to 35 and the evolution of his game. And that's the beauty of it.